Scotsman Ice Maker Service Manual

[Martin Glow]

Theseare the PDF operator manuals, service manuals, and miscellaneous items for some of the equipment that we service and install. The list is updated as we are able to find manuals for the equipment. Some of this equipment is obsolete and the manuals are hard to find. Please feel free to use this site as a free resource for your service and installation needs.

We repair all makes and models of ice machines, flakers, cubers, and nugget ice machines, including brands such as Scotsman, Manitowoc, Hoshizaki, and Ice-O-Matic. We understand that ice machines are a vital part of your business, we offer same day and 24/7 ice machine repair service.

Forecast Heating Cooling & Refrigeration, LLC services commercial food stores all around Las Vegas. We are dedicated to providing quality workmanship, professional ice machine repair, and customer satisfaction.

Whether you're running a family-owned restaurant or a five-star hotel, no ice machine repair job is too small or too big. Our highly skilled ice machine repair technicians are available seven days a week, including holidays. We specialize in commercial ice machine repair so you can rest assured that your equipment will be in good hands. For speedy and efficient ice machine repair service, call us in Vegas 24/7.

Troubleshooting for ice machines most commonly used in restaurants, hotels & lodging, convenience stores, bars, etc. and other applications. Ice machine troubleshooting is always easier when you have the service manual for the ice machine's manufacturer. Find below a list of the most popular ice machines used.

You need to verify that the water supply to the ice machine is good, and you should also inspect the ice machine water distribution components. If they're plugged with scale build up, the ice machine should be descaled, but make sure the ice machine at least runs and starts freezing normally first. Note: If there are major problems with the compressor, metering device, controls, etc., and the machine is too old and needs to be replaced instead of paying for major repairs on, the descaling procedure might turn out to be a waste of time.

You'll also want to take a close look at the evaporator plate. If the ice machine plating is severely discolored, or if you see a lot of copper color showing through, the plating might be worn off to the point where ice won't drop off the evaporator during harvest. You also want to be sure there's no scale build up on the ice machine evaporator.

Check the ice machine's condenser and make sure it's clean, make sure the condenser fan blade turns, and verify that nothing is interfering with the airflow through the condenser. If it's a water-cooled condenser, verify that there is water pressure available to flow through the condenser when the unit runs.

If there's nothing else visibly wrong with the ice machine, turn on the power and verify that it is the correct voltage for the ice machine. If there are solid state controls, see if there are any error code indications, and write down what they are. We'll go over possible ice machine problems and their causes shortly.

By this stage, you will have verified that the water and power supplied to the machine are correct, that the condenser is clean and the fan is good. If it's a water-cooled condenser, you'll have verified that there's water available to flow through the condenser, and you'll have verified that the evaporator plate and water distribution components are clean and scale free.

Keep in mind that different makes of ice machines start out differently. Hoshizaki units start by defrosting until the suction line thermistor warms up; Manitowoc's start a couple of different ways, depending on the type of machine; and Ice-O-Matic's also start a couple of different ways, depending on the type of machine. So give the ice machine a couple of minutes to cycle into its full freeze mode.

If your ice machine troubleshooting is for a Hoshizaki unit, pay close attention to the strength of the water flow during the fill cycle when it starts up. These units require a strong water flow for optimum harvest efficiency, so if flow looks weak, check the pipe size, filter, inlet screen, and distribution nozzles.

The rest of this troubleshooting article will cover common ice machine problems, and what symptoms to look for. First, check the cuber and bin drains for steady running water. If you see this, the dump valve might be leaking, the fill solenoid or float valve might be leaking, the drain siphon pipe might be loose or adjusted incorrectly, or the sump pan or the machine might not be level. This will cause long ice machine harvest cycles, can trip the solid state controls on "long cycle time" errors, and will increase the cost of making the ice.

If the pressures stay normal but the high pressure safety opens, the safety has failed and you need to replace it. If the pressures are high, verify that there are no isolation or service valves closed on the high side of the system, double-check the condenser coil to see if it's plugged, check to be sure the condenser fan is running and that it's the right size and turns in the right direction, and make sure no other appliances are blowing hot air directly into the condenser coil.

If this ice machine troubleshooting is for a water-cooled machine, verify that you have water flow and that it's not hot water, make sure the head pressure regulating valve hasn't gone out of adjustment or totally failed, and if you can, disconnect the water lines and inspect the inside of the condenser for scale or dirt buildup.

To check for noncondensables, leave the machine off for a few minutes so pressures will equalize. Check your pressures, and check the temperatures of the evaporator plate and condenser coil. If your saturated temperatures aren't equivalent to these pressures, it's very likely that the system is contaminated. You'll need to recover the charge, replace the drier, evacuate the system, and weigh in the factory specified charge.

If the saturated temperatures are equivalent to the evaporator plate and condenser coil temperatures, and you suspect the system is simply overcharged, it's still a good idea to recover the charge, replace the drier, pull a vacuum to 500 microns, then weigh in the factory specified charge.

Once again, check the pressures to be sure the suction pressure is actually low enough to trip the cutout. If the cutout opens but the suction pressure hasn't dropped to the cutout point, the cutout has failed and should be replaced.

If you don't find a leak during this stage of troubleshooting, charge in two to four ounces of refrigerant to see if your suction pressure increases. On large machines you may need to charge in a little more to see an increase in suction pressure.

If suction pressure and discharge pressure increase, it's very likely an undercharge; so you need to find out how the charge was lost if possible, make the appropriate repairs, then charge in the factory specified amount of refrigerant.

If you suspect a leak and absolutely can't find it, charge in enough refrigerant to get the machine to make ice, charge in the correct amount of fluorescent leak detection dye, leave the machine running and making ice, and make plans to come back and find the leak in a day or two. Return in a couple of days and, using an ultraviolet light, you should be able to locate the leak. Make the appropriate repairs, and get the ice machine up and running.

What about a similar ice machine troubleshooting with the machine tripping off on low pressure, or running with low suction pressure, but you don't find a leak, and when you charge in refrigerant, the pressures don't rise?

First, check for a restricted drier or liquid line. If the drier is restricted, the outlet will be several degrees cooler that the inlet, and the drier itself might even be sweating or frosting. If the liquid line is restricted, you might see frost or condensation at the location of the restriction, and the outlet side of the restriction will be cooler than the inlet side.

If the drier and liquid line aren't restricted, check for a restricted or failed metering device. If the metering device is a capillary tube, you might have to strip off some insulation, but if it's restricted you'll see a spot of frost at the restriction. If the metering device is a TXV, and if you're sure the ice machine is fully charged and the evaporator plate is only freezing about half way or maybe even less, then the TXV has failed.

After five minutes of the freeze cycle, measure the temperature of the inlet and outlet copper lines of the evaporator.

If the temperatures are not within 5 of each other, the TXV has failed.

For a double evaporator machine, measure the temperatures of the TXV outlet lines as close to the TXVs as possible.

If the temperatures are within 5 of each other, both TXVs are good.

If the temperatures aren't within 5 of each other, the TXV with the higher outlet temperature has failed.

Keep in mind, this is only one step in the overall ice machine troubleshooting procedure.

The next ice machine troubleshooting will be an ice machine that's running, but takes too long to make ice, and is possibly tripping off on "long freeze cycle."

You should have already verified that the ice machine's dump valve, fill solenoid, and float valve aren't leaking, that the drain pipe isn't loose or adjusted incorrectly, and that the sump pan and machine are level.

If there's no water flow problem, check the temperature of the defrost/hot gas solenoid about five minutes after the freeze cycle starts. The inlet will be hot, but the body and outlet should be cool enough to hold. If the body and outlet are too hot to hold, it's probably leaking, which will increase freeze cycle times.

During your ice machine troubleshooting, you should keep an eye on your gauges, and take notes on what's happening. Are pressures normal? If you have a high discharge pressure, check the condenser, and check for noncondensables.

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